PEACE IN KURDISTAN CAMPAIGN: Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown: We, the undersigned, call on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to use all available diplomatic means to bring an immediate end to the repression of Kurdish politicians in Turkey and to promote a political and negotiated solution to the Kurdish conflict. The mass arrest of some 80 leading members of the new Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) that took place in Turkey on Christmas Eve is a deeply disturbing development that can only have grave consequences for the country’s future peace and stability. The action followed the banning of the popular pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) on 11 December by Turkey’s Constitutional Court.

Those detained are all former pro-Kurdish deputies or mayors and include; the former DEP deputy and co-president of Democratic Society Congress, Mr. Hatip Dicle; the Mayor of Sur Municipality, Mr. Abdullah Demirbas,; the Mayor of Kayapinar, Mr. Zülkif Karatekin; the former DEP Deputy and Mayor of Siirt, Mr. Selim Sadak; the Mayor of Batman, Mr. Necdet Atalay; the Mayor of Viransehir; a member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mrs. Leyla Guven; the Mayor of Kiziltepe, Mr. Ferhan Turk and vice-president of Human Rights Association, Mr. Muharrem Erbey.

With these moves Turkey is embarking on a dangerous new course that could plunge the country into further conflict and violence by alienating the Kurdish voters who in their millions have given support to the DTP and chosen its members as their representatives in successive polls.

Turkey’s turn to repression also sends a signal to the world that the country is not yet ready to observe international norms of behaviour and its democratic obligations with regards to the political and human rights of its peoples.

If Turkey is unable to enter into dialogue with its own people and meet the popular aspirations of its population, in particular its Kurdish citizens, then it can have little hope of reaching agreements democratic issues with its European neighbours in the future.
By banning legitimate political parties that have a mass following among Kurdish voters, the Turkish authorities are quite simply seeking to stifle the legitimate demands of the Kurds for their basic civil, social and cultural rights. These rights are accepted worldwide as the bedrock of a democratic country.

In opting for increased repression Turkey is closing off the democratic option to the Kurds and telling them in no uncertain terms that their concerns will not be resolved through dialogue. This can only create further alienation and discontent among the Kurdish masses.

We call on the Prime Minister to urge the Turkish government to rethink and reverse its repressive strategy and embark on dialogue even at this late hour in order to start to resolve the Kurdish question by peaceful means.

The recent arrests of DTP/BDP members and their continued detentions have been carried out in flagrant disregard for Turkey’s international human rights obligations. We urge the Prime Minister to ensure that the Turkish authorities are obliged to respect their legal obligations in these fundamental matters.